Background: Sharks have existed for about 400 million years, before dinosaurs roamed the earth! They belong to a class of fish called Chondrichthyes. Chrondrichthyes means "cartilaginous fishes". The skeletons of sharks and other Chondrichthyans are made of cartilage unlike human skeletons that are made of bone. Although all sharks have some similarities such as having gills and fins, they come in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and personalities. They also live in many different habitats and in different parts of the world.
Materials: There are 8 shark species profiles included in this activity with information on size, color, diet, and habitat of each shark. Focus is on sharks that live in waters off the Florida coast although sharks from other parts of the world are also included: 1. Bull shark 2. White shark 3. Tiger shark 4. Great hammerhead shark 5. Shortfin mako shark 6. Thresher shark 7. Whale shark 8. Leopard shark
In addition, there are also species profiles on closely related rays, skates, and sawfish that may also be included in classroom learning activities: 1. Atlantic stingray 2. Clearnose skate 3. Smalltooth sawfish
Information on size, color, diet, habitat, and geographical location is included in each species profile as well as a photo and a distribution map.
Classroom Activities:
• Graph the maximum length of each species to determine which species is the largest and which is the smallest and how they compare to the size of humans
• Make a shark mobile with cut outs using the provided patterns and instructions, using shark species profiles for guidelines on the coloration of each shark.
• Color in coloring pages of sharks using the description of each shark species as a guide
www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish 4-1 © 2006 Florida Museum of Natural History Bull Shark Carcharhinus leucas
Length: Maximum length of 11.5 feet (3.5 meters)
Color: Pale to dark gray above fading to a pale or white underside
Diet: Fish and small sharks
Habitat: Marine and freshwater shallow habitats
Geographical Location: Live throughout the world
www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish 4-2 © 2006 Florida Museum of Natural History White Shark Carcharodon carcharias
Length: Maximum length of 22.3 feet (6.8 meters)
Color: Blue-gray to gray-brown on top with a white underside, sometimes there are small spots long the sides of the shark and a black blotch near the pectoral fin
Diet: Marine mammals such as seals, sea lions, and dolphins as well as fish and sometimes sea turtles
Habitat: Marine, waters ranging from shallow water to depths of 775 feet (250 meters)
Geographical Location: Temperate waters throughout the world
www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish 4-3 © 2006 Florida Museum of Natural History Tiger Shark Galeocerdo cuvier
Length: Maximum length of 14 feet (4.25 meters)
Color: Bluish-gray to dark gray or black on top with a yellowish-white underside, dark spots are visible on young sharks but fade as the shark matures
Diet: Sea turtles, rays, sharks, bony fishes, sea birds, dolphins, squid, and crustaceans
Habitat: Marine, murky waters off the coast from the surface to depths of 1,085 feet (350 meters)
Geographical Location: Temperate and tropical waters throughout the world, with the exception of the Mediterranean Sea
www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish 4-4 © 2006 Florida Museum of Natural History Great Hammerhead Shark Sphyrna mokarran
Length: Maximum length of 20 feet (6.1 meters)
Color: Dark brown to light grey or even olive color on top, fading to white on the underside
Diet: Invertebrates, bony fish, and rays as well as other sharks
Habitat: Marine, shallow coastal waters to offshore water depths of 985 feet (300 meters)
Geographical Location: Warm temperate and tropical marine waters throughout the world
www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish 4-5 © 2006 Florida Museum of Natural History Shortfin Mako Isurus oxyrinchus
Length: Maximum length of 13 feet (4 meters)
Color: Brilliant metallic blue on top and white underside
Diet: Fast moving swordfish, tuna, and other sharks as well as squid (the mako is the fastest shark – it can swim 20 mph!)
Habitat: Marine, open ocean waters to depths of 2,425 feet (740 meters)
Geographical Location: Tropical and temperate waters throughout the world's oceans
www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish 4-6 © 2006 Florida Museum of Natural History Thresher Shark Alopias vulpinus
Length: Maximum length of 24.9 feet (7.6 meters) including the long tail fin
Color: Dark brown and slate gray to black on top with black spots near the tail, it is white underneath
Diet: Small bony fish such as herring, bluefish, and mackerel, they use their long tail fin to stun their prey so it is easier to catch
Habitat: Marine, coastal waters to open ocean waters at depths to 1,800 feet (550 meters)
Geographical Location: Cold temperate and tropical waters throughout the world's oceans
www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish 4-7 © 2006 Florida Museum of Natural History Whale Shark Rhincodon typus
Length: Maximum length of 60 feet (18 meters) – largest living fish!
Color: Greyish, bluish or brownish above with an upper surface pattern of creamy white spots between pale, vertical and horizontal stripes, the underside is white
Diet: Plankton (microscopic plants and animals) and small schooling fish
Habitat: Marine, open oceans
Geographical Location: Warm temperate and tropical waters throughout the world's oceans
www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish 4-8 © 2006 Florida Museum of Natural History Leopard Shark Triakis semifasciata
Length: Maximum length of 7 feet (2.1 meters)
Color: Silver to bronzy gray with dark saddles and spots, lighter underside
Diet: Small fish, crabs, shrimp, worms, and fish eggs
Habitat: Marine, sandy and muddy bays in shallow water less than 20 feet (6 meters) in depth
Geographical Location: Eastern Pacific Ocean from Oregon to the Gulf of California
www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish 4-9 © 2006 Florida Museum of Natural History Atlantic Stingray Dasyatis sabina
Length: Disk width of 12-15 inches (stingrays are measured this way)
Color: Brown or yellowish brown on the top, becoming lighter close to the edge. The underside is white or light gray
Diet: Clams, worms, tube anemones, and bivalves
Habitat: Marine and brackish water in warm coastal areas, it also lives in some freshwater lakes in Florida
Geographical Location: Western Atlantic Ocean from Chesapeake Bay south to Florida and into the Gulf of Mexico
www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish 4-10 © 2006 Florida Museum of Natural History Clearnose Skate Raja eglanteria
Length: Maximum disk width of 19 inches (48 cm)
Color: Dark to light brown or gray on the dorsal surface with dark spots and bars sometimes present, the ventral surface is white
Diet: Shrimp, crabs, and small fish
Habitat: Marine inshore waters
Geographical Location: Atlantic Ocean – from Massachusetts south through Florida and into the Gulf of Mexico
www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish 4-11 © 2006 Florida Museum of Natural History Smalltooth Sawfish Pristis pectinata
Length: Maximum length of 24.7 feet (7.6 m)
Color: Brownish to bluish gray body with a white underside
Diet: Marine invertebrates that live in the sand, small fishes
Habitat: Marine coastal areas such as estuaries, bays, lagoons and even into freshwater rivers occasionally
Geographical Location: Live throughout the world in the tropics, in the western Atlantic Ocean. they are found from New York south to Brazil including the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea.
www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish 4-12 © 2006 Florida Museum of Natural History Shark Species Profiles : Graphing and Question/Answer Activity Sheet
SHARK LENGTH GRAPH
Bull Shark 11.5 feet White Shark 22.3 feet Tiger Shark 14 feet Great Hammerhead 20 feet Shark Shortfin Mako Shark 13 feet Thresher Shark 24.9 feet Whale Shark 65.5 feet Leopard Shark 7 feet Smalltooth Sawfish 24.7 feet Human Adult 6 feet Human Child 4 feet
LENGTH (feet) 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65
Instructions: Each box represents five feet in length. Color in the boxes from left to right until you reach the appropriate box representing the length of the shark on that line. Use your graph to answer the questions below:
1. Which shark is the shortest?
2. Which shark is the longest?
3. Does the size of a shark indicate how dangerous it is?